ALMOST two dozen of Cumbria's children's social workers left their jobs last year, figures show.

Unmanageable caseloads and deteriorating working conditions have contributed to thousands of child and family social workers across England quitting their jobs, according to the British Association of Social Workers.

Department for Education data for Cumbria shows that 21 full-time employees left their jobs in the year to September, among 112 to have done so since 2017.

The figures show that 13 of those who left last year had been in their roles for fewer than five years, and 10 for under two years.

Across England, the total number of social workers rose by 2 per cent, to 32,500, in the year to September but 5,000 social workers assigned to support children and families left during that period: the highest number in five years and a rise of 16 per cnt on the year before.

More than two-thirds of them had been in their role for under five years.

There were more than 6,500 vacancies counted last September – with 43 advertised in Cumbria, up from 42 in September 2020.

At 15.4 per cent, the national turn-over rate was also the highest recorded since 2017, with the rate in Cumbria standing at 8.4 per cent, up from 7.1 per cent recorded the year before.

There were 24 new starters last year, bringing the number of full-time child and family social workers to 248 – higher than the 245 recorded five years previously.